Chico CA Snow Goose Festival

Snow Geese

The Chico Snow Goose Festival celebrates the annual winter waterfowl migration in California's North Sacramento Valley.

Millions of geese, ducks, swans and other birds visit the Sacramento Valley from as far away as the Arctic regions of Alaska, Canada, and Siberia, making the valley the most important wintering area along the great Pacific Flyway.

Geese, swans, ducks, and sandhill cranes have been spending their winters in the Sacramento Valley for thousands of years.

Waterfowl and shorebirds migrate south on all the U.S. flyways, but on other routes cold weather keeps them on the move. In the Sacramento Valley, mild winters allow the birds to stay in one area, creating a viewing opportunity nowhere else available.

The Festival features dozens of field trips and workshops that range out into six counties. The field trips spread out into the rice fields, wildlife refuges, and river walks where mild winter weather, abundant food and lots of water draw the avian arrivals.

Local wildlife naturalists lrad field trips to educate participants about waterfowl and other migratory birds. In rice fields and on refuges, birding experts describe how to pick out a swan from a goose from a duck. Other field trip leaders will focus on sand hill cranes and their dancing behavior.

Some trips are scheduled around fly-offs when thousands of snow geese take off as they move to a new feeding. Observers are likely to find ducks and geese as trip leaders have scouted out the best viewing sites.

The Festival also celebrates plant and animal life in the North Sacramento Valley. There are programs on wildlife and habitats in addition to rice fields and refuges.

Some field trips explore habitats including vernal pools, grasslands, nature preserves and even hiking in scenic Sutter Buttes.

Festival workshops explore nature photography, beginning birding, birds of your backyard, watchable wildlife, wood ducks, decoy duck carving, and other wildlife-related activities. Also featured are wildlife art exhibits and nature displays.

A Friends of Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge webcam provides views of a seasonal wetlands pond with migrating waterfowl and raptors. 

For more information, or visit the Snow Goose Festival website at www.snowgoosefestival.org.

Wisconsin Osprey Nesting

According to the 2016 Wisconsin Bald Eagle and Osprey Survey Report, record number of occupied osprey nests were observed in the state during 2016.

Osprey nests were found in record numbers: 558 occupied osprey nests were observed in Wisconsin, up from 542 in 2014.

At present, 75 percent of Wisconsin osprey nests are built on artificial platforms erected on utility poles, cell phone towers, and other tall structures.

Osprey populations in Wisconsin declined dramatically from the 1950s to early 1970s.

The osprey is one of North America's most recognizable birds of prey. Adults feed almost exclusively on fish. Their shrill call is a familiar sound to birders, anglers, and outdoor explorers.

source: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

National Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count 2016-2017

The 2016-2017 annual National Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count is coming soon.

Between December 14th and January 5th, tens of thousands of bird-loving volunteers will participate in counts across the Western Hemisphere.


The Christmas Bird Count is the longest-running wildlife census in the world. Each individual count takes place in a 15-mile-wide circle and is led by a compiler responsible for organizing volunteers and submitting observations to Audubon. Within each circle, participants tally all birds seen or heard that day.

The Audubon Christmas Bird Count is a citizen science project organized by the National Audubon Society.

There is no fee to participate and the quarterly report, American Birds, is available online. Counts are open to birders of all skill levels.

For more information, visit www.christmasbirdcount.org.

source: National Audubon Society

Best Areas to View Snow Geese in New Jersey

Snow Geese

The following is a summary of the best areas in New Jersey to view snow geese:

Northern Jersey

In Northern Jersey, snow geese often winter at Merrill Creek Reservoir. These flocks typically exceed 15,000 birds in January and can build to over 75,000 birds in late winter. Merrill Creek Reservoir flocks may cover a wide area during daily feeding forays. Feeding snow geese are usually found from Belvidere to Washington to Clinton to Flemington.

Central New Jersey

Snow goose flocks typically total 5-10 thousand birds in central New Jersey. Flocks in this region are seen feeding in fields in an area from Cranbury to Roosevelt to Wrightstown to Burlington.

Delaware Bay

Delaware Bay tidal marshes and nearby inland farm fields attract the highest numbers of snow geese in New Jersey. During the Mid-Winter Waterfowl Survey in early January, researchers may estimate 100,000 light geese in these areas.

Delaware Bay flocks feed, roost and loaf in the tidal marshes yet often make inland field feeding flights primarily into Salem and Cumberland Counties. At times, flocks range as far inland as Mullica Hill, Turnersville and Franklinville.

Southern New Jersey
Snow geese can be found in and around Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge in Oceanville. Mid-Winter Waterfowl Survey counts from early January are typically about 5,000 birds in this region.

source: NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife